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HAVE YOUR SAY: Council leader’s allowance rise sends ‘wrong message’

A decision to increase Allerdale council leader Alan Smith’s allowance by £6,000 a year has been described as “insensitive” for “sending out the wrong message” by a group of councillors.

At an Allerdale council meeting last Wednesday, the full council approved recommendations from an independent panel of members of the public for Councillor Smith’s allowance to go up from £15,299 to £21,000.

An amendment was proposed by Conservative councillor Tim Heslop, who wanted Coun Smith’s allowance to stay the same, but the motion was lost.

Despite the full council’s approval of the increase, 11 independent Allerdale councillors have written a letter to today’s Times & Star to criticise the move.

The group referred to the council’s decision to have a 2.9 per cent council tax increase rather than acceptance of central government’s offer of 2.5 per cent from national taxation.

They said that the 2.9 per cent increase would bring in about £18,316.

The group added: “Almost £6,000 of the extra tax has now been lined up to give council leader Alan Smith a hefty 37 per cent annual pay rise from last year’s claimed allowance for leader of £15,299 to £21,000 – just as he is cutting the jobs of council employees while those still in work have to accept no pay increase for a third year.”

A spokesman for the group said: “It just seems to send out the wrong message.

“When everyone is tightening their belts and cuts are being made, it seems a bit insensitive for a person to take an extra £6,000.

“The point that Labour were making on Wednesday was that he was putting a lot of time in and deserved an extra allowance.

“They said that £21,000 was not a lot of money for someone of that responsibility.”

A spokeswoman for Allerdale council said: “Councillors allowances for 2012-13 were agreed by the full council on March 7 following a recommendation from an independent panel of members of the public. The minutes can be viewed at www.allerdale.gov.uk.”

Have your say

What more do you expect from this bunch of headline seekers.These councilors are not interested in the Â£5mill.that they say we have to save, they are not interested in the people of the community, all they want is their absorbant salaries and expenses.Have you ever tried to write to them, I have over twenty times and all I have had is one reply which had nothing to do with the questions that I asked.

It is time for this mob of headline seekers to show some respect to the people of the community and ask for a reduced salary and no expenses, they might, just might, draw attention to something that they are doing for the community, lets face it they have not done anything yet.

Posted by Andy on
5 December 2014 at 10:44

Concerned - your totally wrong there is no pension package associated with being a councillor.

I look forward to all you keyboard warriers standing at the next elections. Put your money where your mouth is